JUNEAU – Governor Bill Walker issued the following statement today on the proposed American Healthcare Act that is currently being considered by Congress:

“For the past two years, my team and I have heard from Alaskans statewide who received life-saving procedures, critical care for loved ones, and peace of mind knowing they had health care coverage. Under the current form of the proposed American Healthcare Act, up to 45,000 Alaskans stand to lose health insurance coverage. That includes the 30,000 Alaskans in the Medicaid expansion population, and 13,000 enrolled in individual health plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Coverage of behavioral health services for Alaska’s Medicaid expansion population is critical to our behavioral health reform and criminal justice reform efforts. It also provides necessary treatment resources to address the opioid epidemic in Alaska. This bill shifts the burden from the federal government to the state, effectively requiring Alaskans to pay more for the same level of service. My team and I will work with our congressional delegation and the Trump administration—because we need a plan of action to ensure the health care coverage Alaskans deserve.” –Governor Bill Walker